Inspired by the "cool"ed
Drum writeup, and the gaping hole it left in regards to
Southeast Asian percussion instruments.
The two most common are the
tabla and the
mridangam, which are native
Indian drums, although recently the
tambourine has been gaining widespread use. There is also an instrument that resembles an overturned
clay pot, whose name escapes me at the moment.
As a general rule, percussion instruments in India are all played
manually, that is to say, with the
hands only (and without the use of
sticks).
One of the most interesting Indian
musical performances I have ever had the pleasure of listening to was a percussion
jugalbandi.